The U.S. invasion and liberation of Iraq from the regime of Saddam Hussein may have been one of the important forces behind the uprising of Iranian citizens after their failed elections, according to British pundit Christopher Hitchens.
Hitchens, a liberal who nonetheless was one of the strongest supporters of the war in Iraq, wrote in the online magazine Slate that reformist forces in Iran have been studying the rebirth of Iraq since the invasion. They even refer to it as a liberation, a term not commonly used among political forces in the Arab world.
But Persian Shiite clerics have been vocal in their denunciations of the regime headed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for years a fact not often discussed in the mainstream media. One of the leaders of this group, though a junior cleric, is Sayeed Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, the radical founder of the Islamic Republic. Khomeini, as well as former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, have developed an important relationship with Iraqi religious leader Ayatollah Ali Husaini Sistani, a long-standing opponent of the Khamenei regime.
Certainly when I interviewed Sayeed Khomeini in Qum some years ago, where he spoke openly about "the liberation of Iraq," he seemed to hope and believe that the example would spread, Hitchens writes. One swallow does not make a summer. But consider this: Many Iranians go as religious pilgrims to the holy sites of Najaf and Kerbala in southern Iraq. They have seen the way in which national and local elections have been held, more or less fairly and openly, with different Iraqi Shiite parties having to bid for votes (and with those parties aligned with Iran's regime doing less and less well). They have seen an often turbulent Iraqi Parliament holding genuine debates that are reported with reasonable fairness in the Iraqi media.
Meanwhile, Hitchens adds, Iranians have seen their own leaders treat citizens as children and put on a let's pretend election.
Iranians by no means likely to take their tune from Arabsperhaps least of all from Iraqisbut watching something like the real thing next door may well have increased the appetite for the genuine article in Iran itself.
#1
If the official narrative was correct, Obama would have emulated George Herbert Walker Bush, by encouraging a revolt and then not supporting it; neither militarily or even only rhetorically.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has criticized the stance adopted by certain political figures following the June 12 presidential election.
In a speech broadcast on IRIB channel one, President Ahmadinejad slammed 'foreign meddling' in Iran's internal affairs following the presidential election, saying the massive turnout of the Iranian nation had upset 'arrogant powers'.
Iran became the scene of opposition rallies following the announcement of Ahmadinejad as the winner of the election with almost two-third of the votes. Defeated candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi rejected the result as fraudulent and demanded a re-run.
Tehran has accused certain Western countries and their media of fueling post-election unrest in Iran.
"Unfortunately, some people inside Iran collaborated with them. They repeated the comments made by certain Western countries," Ahmadinejad said. He added that the defeated candidates rejected the election results without offering any proof of irregularities in the electoral process.
President Ahmadinejad invited the nation to 'unity and solidarity' now that the file on the election has been closed and the electoral watchdog, the Guardian Council, has confirmed his re-election.
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Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] France called on Monday for the immediate release of a young French academic arrested last week in Iran for espionage as she prepared to board an aircraft and return home. Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said 23-year-old Clotilde Reiss had been working for five months as a teaching assistant at the University of Isfahan and dismissed the accusation of espionage as "absurd."
" She took part in demonstrations which, as you know, attracted hundreds of thousands of Iranians and like most of them, she took photographs in all innocence. That's what she's accused of "
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
The woman is said to have attended protests in Isfahan after the disputed June 12 election in which hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected, a French diplomatic source said.
The spy charge is linked to a private email she sent to a friend in Tehran discussing the situation in Isfahan, the diplomatic source said.
Kouchner said the charges were related to "the sending of pictures taken by mobile telephone."
"I think that's what it's about. That's not espionage, it cannot be. This accusation is absurd," he said.
"She took part in demonstrations which, as you know, attracted hundreds of thousands of Iranians and like most of them, she took photographs in all innocence. That's what she's accused of," Kouchner told France Info radio. "I think it's an accusation which doesn't hold up."
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Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2009 00:00 ||
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[Jerusalem Post Middle East] Monday's news that Saudi Arabia will appoint an ambassador to Syria signifies a gradual effort by the western world and moderate Arab nations to extract Syria away from the "Shi'ite Axis of Evil" and to strengthen relations with the West under the aegis of the American administration.
Reports of the appointment come amidst the backdrop of the Syrian-Saudi-Lebanese summit, set to convene in Damascus next week, and US President Barack Obama's announcement that the US will also appoint an ambassador to Syria.
The Saudi ambassador appointment and the combined effort of the United States and other western nations to foster better relations with Syria stem from a legitimate Iranian threat to the region's interests and oil resources. A nuclear Iran has the capability not only to threaten Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations with war, but also to demand oil concessions in the hope of dominating the Middle Eastern market.
The Americans hope that their push for better relations with Syria will force the Syrian government to better patrol the Iraqi border and stop the infiltration of foreign fighters into Iraq. In addition, the Americans are likely to demand that Syria reject North Korean military aid. In exchange, it is possible that the United States will replace North Korea as the major arms provider to Syria, similar to the Americans' replacement of Soviet aid in Egypt.
Iran's inexorable isolation from the world and its disputed nuclear program threaten to isolate the much more moderate Syrian regime. If Syria chooses to sever its relations with Iran and Hizbullah, new doors may open up for a possible détente with the West and Israel, including the return of the Golan Heights. In the event of a Syrian-Western alliance, Syria could receive economic-military aid from the Arab Gulf States and the United States.
Despite the opposition of the Israeli public to returning the Golan, the political establishment is willing to do such in an agreement that would pass muster with the Israeli public. This would include a major change in Syria's relationship with Iran, and a cessation of Syrian support to Hizbullah.
In fact, most Israeli prime ministers, with the exception of Ariel Sharon, have had no major objections to relinquishing the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, which was never part of the "Greater Israel" vision. Moreover, Israel would find it much easier to have a satisfied Syria manage a Palestinian peace agreement, rather than deal directly with Hamas or Fatah.
Syria's relationship with Iran is becoming increasingly onerous and while Syrian President Bashar Assad wants to maintain his Iranian ties, he cannot afford to play both cards. In the event that Israel attacks Iran or vice versa, Syria would be drawn into a regional war, from which it would have nothing to gain. A conventional army like Syria's, unlike the forces of Hamas or the insurgency in Iraq, would lose in a military conflict with Israel or the West.
In the case of a future Syrian-Western alliance, Iran and Hizbullah will be more isolated than they currently find themselves. Hizbullah would lose a major economic and military supporter, and Iran would lose more ground to the Sunni Arab alliance. While this may push Hizbullah further into the Lebanese political arena, the group may also turn to terrorist action against their former sponsors.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Left With Iran Pakistan and North Korea then!
Still dont trust any Arab nation as they are taught to hate the West by their religious guys!
#2
Sounds like the Axis of Evil may be morphing from a tricycle into a Segway.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/08/2009 11:47 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I've been working wwith computers too long, the script above assad's hed looks to me as if it reads Illegal DLL
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/08/2009 16:52 Comments ||
Top||
#4
OMG Redneck Jim, you're right! I'm not sure what that means, exactly, except that someone's computer is about to crash. (Please don't explain further -- computer stuff gives me headaches.)
[Al Arabiya Latest] The unrest that has rocked Iran since the June 12 election has been broadcast across the world but another fight is taking place and has received little media attention as it is an internal dispute between members of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's family.
Ahmadinejad's son-in-law, Mehdi Khurshidi Azad, has been disowned by his father because he lashed out at him in defense of the incumbent's re-election. "From now on, I have no son called Mehdi," said Ahmed Khurshidi Azad. "Thanks Mr. Ahmadinejad. I gave you a decent son and you gave me back someone who doesn't hesitate to hurl accusations at anyone including his own father."
Family divisions
The problem came about when Azad, who heads the Association of Islamic Revolution Loyalists that includes veterans of the Iran-Iraq war, told the Etemad-e-Melli newspaper he had voted for conservative candidate Mohsen Rezaei. Azad also questioned the transparency of the 2005 elections, which brought Ahmadinejad to power for the first time.
Shortly after Azad's comments were published, Mehdi defended his father-in-law, Ahmadinejad, and told the semi-official Fars News agency that his father was being egged-on by other people, who he didn't name. "Some people try to take advantage of the divisions within the president's family to serve their own agenda," he said. "My dad's statements were personal."
Breaking silence
" They have done everything they can to morally assassinate me. In case this crosses the line, I will reveal documents and evidence that will expose them and show the people how the authorities treat someone who fought for the revolution and who was injured in the Iran-Iraq war "
Ahmed Khurshidi Azad
Azad did not respond to his son's comments right away, but 22 days later and after Iran's worst unrest since the 1979 revolution broke out he told Etemad-e-Melli: "As a citizen, I expressed my point of view about Ahmadinejad. Unfortunately, my son responded in this way the next day."
Azad accused the Islamic Republic's government of lashing out at anyone that criticizes it and said they have been doing so for the past four years -- since Ahmadinejad came to power. "They have done everything they can to morally assassinate me. In case this crosses the line, I will reveal documents and evidence that will expose them and show the people how the authorities treat someone who fought for the revolution and who was injured in the Iran-Iraq war."
Azad said he believed his son's behavior was against the teachings of Islam, which promotes respect for one's parents, and accused the regime of being ungrateful to those who fought for the country. "You are what you are because our blood was shed. At least you should respect that," he concluded.
Jewish links
In the same vein, Ayatollah Khazali, a leading supporter of Ahmadinejad, disowned his son Mehdi for statements he made on his website claiming that the Iranian president was of Jewish descent. Mehdi Khazali wrote on his blog that Ahmadinejad changed his name from Saburjian to hide his Jewish roots and said the president verbally blasts Jews and Israelis and displays over the top zealousness towards Islam for the same reason. Khazali the son was later arrested by the Iranian authorities both for slandering the president and for taking part in pro-reform street protests.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced that his new cabinet will undergo "major changes" to comply with the needs of his second term in office.
In a speech televised live on IRIB Channel One on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad also said that he would be issuing "regular reports" to update people on the performance of his cabinet.
He stated that compassion, justice, and respect for civil rights will be on the new government's agenda, IRNA reported.
Commenting on the allegations of irregularities in the June 12 presidential election, Ahmadinejad said, "This election was the soundest and fairest election in the world."
"Those who claimed [that there had been irregularities] did not present a single (piece of) evidence to prove that there had been any irregularity in the election," he added.
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Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2009 00:00 ||
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[Mail and Globe] Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is personally behind the alleged fraud in the June 12 presidential election, former Iranian president Abolhassan Banisadr claimed in Vienna late on Monday.
"Khamenei ordered the fraud in the presidential elections and the ensuing crackdown on protestors," Banisadr said at a symposium marking the 20th anniversary of the murder of three Kurdish opposition leaders in Vienna.
"The regime is edging closer to the abyss and is holding on to power solely by means of violence and terror," said Banisadr, who was Iran's first elected president following the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The regime wanted to keep the population in a permanent state of uncertainty and fear and so systematic terror was institutionally organised and controlled by the regime and Khamenei, he added. "They don't want Iranians to be able to even think about protests in their own homes."
Intellectuals and students were the main targets since they were regarded as the driving force behind the resistance, Banisadr continued. "Reformers and liberal pragmatists are to be wiped out."
Islam played almost no role any more in the ideology of the regime and was now simply used as a "justification for violence, lies and oppression", he said.
Khamenei and his "financial mafia are simply out for their own advantage", while the general population lived in poverty.
Banisadr was in Vienna for a symposium on the 1989 murders of three leading Kurdish opposition figures: Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou, Abdullah Ghaderi-Azar and Fadel Rasoul. Ghassemlou, the leader of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan -- an Iranian opposition party outlawed by Tehran -- was killed on July 13 1989.
Bani Sadr was elected president in January 1980 soon after the previous year's Islamic Revolution, but he was ousted by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in June 1981. Banisadr has lived in exile in France since 1981.
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Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
While it would not surprise me if this was true, I sure wouldn't take Banisadr's word for it. Among other things, how would he know?
[Khaleej Times] Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani issued a warning against the United States Monday after Vice President Joe Biden said Washington would not dictate the way Israel deals with Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "We will consider the Americans responsible in any adventure launched by the Zionist entity," Larijani told reporters during an official visit in Doha, referring to Israel.
"No politician or person in the world can imagine that the Zionist entity can lead an operation without getting the green light from the United States," said Larijani, Iran's former nuclear negotiator. He warned that Iran's response to an attack would be "decisive and painful".
Biden said in an television interview on Sunday that the United States would not stand in the way of Israel in its dealings with Iran's nuclear ambitions. "Israel can determine for itself -- it's a sovereign nation -- what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else," Biden told ABC television.
"Whether we agree or not. They're entitled to do that... We cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do when they make a determination, if they make a determination, that they're existentially threatened."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out a possible military strike against Iran, insisting that Tehran must not obtain nuclear weapons. Iran denies that is wants to build an atomic bomb.
Larijani slammed Biden's comments as a "political manoeuvre. We have heard a lot of these words in the past. Biden, by saying that they (the United States) can't prevent such an operation, has taken the wrong route and revealed his card."
Asked about US calls for dialogue, Larijani said: "We want to work seriously. ... But on one side they tell us 'we want to resolve the problems and negotiate,' on another we hear what Mr. Biden says."
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
07/08/2009 00:00 ||
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[11155 views]
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#1
Dear Iran,
Vice President Biden is nuts.
Sincerely, and with all apologies,
Your pal,
Barry Obama
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[Jerusalem Post Middle East] Monday's news that Saudi Arabia will appoint an ambassador to Syria signifies a gradual effort by the western world and moderate Arab nations to extract Syria away from the "Shi'ite Axis of Evil" and to strengthen relations with the West under the aegis of the American administration.
[Al Arabiya Latest] The unrest that has rocked Iran since the June 12 election has been broadcast across the world but another fight is taking place and has received little media attention as it is an internal dispute between members of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's family. 
[Iran Press TV Latest] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced that his new cabinet will undergo "major changes" to comply with the needs of his second term in office. 
[Khaleej Times] Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani issued a warning against the United States Monday after Vice President Joe Biden said Washington would not dictate the way Israel deals with Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "We will consider the Americans responsible in any adventure launched by the Zionist entity," Larijani told reporters during an official visit in Doha, referring to Israel.
